SecretLeeds - History, culture and architecture in Leeds

Hi,I have for a while now been trying to find out more about the munitions factory at Thorp-Arch. The reason for this is that my mum worked there in the canteen, during WW2.The only picture I can find, of this period, around this area on the web is one of workers leaving through the factory gates.Does anyone know any info or of more pictures?I would be interested also in anything in the general workings of a ROF of WW2, ie were the workers local, if not did they have lodgings or stay on site? Safety issues etc.Thanks.

Hi TrollThere is a book in the Central Lending Library which has quite a bit of info on ROF Thorp Arch. It's a history of either Thorp Arch or Boston Spa village. Sorry I can't remember the title but it's in the Leeds section, rather than the Local History bit upstairs. There's a very nice map of the ROF detailing what all the buildings were.I'm sure that at a munitions factory nobody would have lived on site so I guess the workers would have been transported to the site. It's a fascinating place that isn't really known about. If you want to know about the factories in general then there seems to be more info about the Barnbow munitions factory.One snippet about Thorp Arch is that there was a railway on the site and the rails had to be made from a special alloy so there was no danger of any sparks being produced.Hope this helps.

Hi rikj,thanks yes, at least I have somewhere to look for info.I just wished I've asked my mum when she was alive.

hi,Hope this helps you.

Hi, noted info will look into it.Thanks pah66.

as i kid i would dread shopping trips to places like Thorp Arch lol - would probably be more interested if i had realised the history. i did wonder where the tanks in the playground came from though? i think there were two or three, all welded up, in the vicinty of the ship. the complex is interesting to look at on google earth - what appear to be revetted bomb stores are apparent, but no sign of the tanks anymore.

Hi there My Grandma worked in Thorp Arch during the war in B7 filling bombs with neonite .She tells us it turned your hair yellow.She used to travel from Knottingly with other women to work at night . She tells us conditions were quite bad and it was very scary .In the day time she worked on the farm with her family.Shes still alive and well at 94

Ah, that explains why all the shops are built in bunkers. I guessed that it was some kind of armaments factory. Then again, parts of the site still look like a wartime military base.

The lack of information on Thorpe Arch has always made me wonder what really was going on there. I know for example it was supposed to be an ordanence factory, it shut down at the end of the second world war and reopened for the Korean war, but unlike the other ROC sites which have a lot of information available, histories etc, this one is zip. It isn't even on any maps until the 1970's, just appearing as a field! Did this place have some special significance hidden away in military records?

I work at Thorpe arch and it's a crackiing place to walk round during lunch times. I've even found the Old roman rd, that seems to be undisturbed. If you do a search on the google for ROF thorpe arch it throws up as much as you'll need.